


A Better Version Of Me

by TheLemonadeStando (Darwise)



Category: HEARTBEAT (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Original Character(s), Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 01:43:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19189366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darwise/pseuds/TheLemonadeStando
Summary: They say that it's never wise to go on the rebound after a bad breakup. In which A Mogwai and a Conjurer walk into a bar, and Klein does her best to keep Eve on the straight and narrow, even when it means confronting past shames. Takes place two years after the game. Rated for adult themes, and eventual (albeit brief) depictions of sexual acts. Tags and summary will be updated later to reflect this.





	A Better Version Of Me

It's half past eight in the evening when Patch storms out of the Sunwich Shoppe with tear stained cheeks. Behind her are three very concerned individuals milling about inside the storefront. Liang is the first to move, quietly locking the door behind her and closing the blinds. A moment later, Nyx rematerializes and takes a seat on the stairs. Klein crosses her arms, and readjusts her weight as she leans against the shop counter.

"You were listening, right?" Klein asks. "How bad was it?"

"...I think t-t-t-they'll be lucky if they m-manage to stay f-f-f-friends after this."

Liang shakes his head and turns around from the window with a heavy sigh. "Well, that's a right shame, I was really hoping that they would work it out..."

There's a loud thud from upstairs, followed by an even louder bang and several seconds of muffled shouts and crying. Liang looks towards Klein with tired eyes.

"Klein, I know it's a lot to ask, but would you mind going upstairs to check on her? Maybe try and cheer her up?"

Klein's head snaps back up towards Liang, nonplussed. Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she raises her hands and stammers for a moment as she fumbles for her words.

"I... don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather not. I think Eve needs her space right now more than anything else. Breakups are just a normal part of life. She'll get over it with time."

"Tch. That w-w-would be easy for you to say..." Nyx doesn't look up, but the words off of her tongue are muttered with enough bitterness to make up for it. Klein scowls, but before she can get a word in edgewise, Liang steps in between them and blocks her view of the other Mogwai.

"Consider this a personal favor to me, alright? Besides, you're like a sister to her; she'll listen to whatever you have to say long before she'll listen to either one of us."

Klein sighs, not even bothering to mask the irritation; Even though he meant well, Liang's statement struck a nerve with her in a way that made her deeply uncomfortable... and very resentful. Still; in her mind, her duty to her Conjurer would always be put first and foremost before her own feelings.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

 

It only takes Klein just a few moments to climb the stairs, but it takes her several minutes to work up the courage to knock on the door.

"Eve? It's Klein." She knocks again for good measure, and Eve shuffles around behind the door for a few moments. When there isn't a reply, Klein twists the knob and slowly pushes the door open. The damage to the room is worse than anything she ever could have pictured Eve to be capable of. The shelf had been completely pulled off of the wall and it's remains sat in a pile of smashed wood in the middle of the floor. Dozens of CD's and action figures lie scattered around the immediate area; some items remain unscathed, while others appear to have been intentionally broken; most notable amongst the wreckage is the stack of autographed Blinking4soup albums smashed under the head of Eve's staff. On the other side of the room sits Eve at the foot of her bed. Her body is bent so far forward, that her face is practically tucked in between her knees. Her hands are clasped together tightly behind her head, and Klein gasps softly when she realizes that her knuckles are scraped, and bleeding.

"Oh Eve..."

At the sound of her name, Eve sluggishly straightens out her posture, then leans back against her bed, propping herself up with her arms. Klein grimaces as the blood on Eve's hands spreads across her bedding. She stares up at the ceiling, her face unsettlingly blank, save for her bloodshot eyes and the drying tears underneath them.

"Hey." Her voice is meek and muted, as though all of the life had been sucked right out of her.

Klein shuts the door behind her, and takes a seat next to Eve.

"Give me your hands."

Without saying a word, she lets Klein place her hands on top of hers, hissing when her nails graze the open wounds. Klein closes her eyes, and a small pulse of healing magic surges through her fingertips. Within seconds, the skin on Eve's hand knits itself back together, and she smiles weakly.

"Thanks, Klein..."

"It was nothing. Eve... are you going to be alright?"

She doesn't reply right away, but does so with another question.

"I guess you guys heard all of that downstairs, huh?"

"...Just the shouting."

"Oh."

They both fall into silence, with Eve refusing to look in her direction, Klein watching the rise and fall of her chest, and neither one really knowing what to say, or even how to say it.

"Eve?"

"Mm?"

"...Is there anything I can do to help?"

More silence fills the room, until Even finally pushes off of the bed and stands up. She takes a look around her room and wipes her eyes, and claps her hands on her sides.

"Help me clean up a bit? I got a little carried away, and now I kinda regret it..." It's slight, but her voice has just a touch of her old self in it, but that's more than enough to put a warm smile on Klein's face. She gets up from the bed, and pats a hand on Eve's shoulder.

"Of course. Where do you want to start?"

Eve shrugs, then starts picking up random knick-knacks off the the floor. When it becomes clear that she isn't going to say anything else, Klein moves to the other side of the room, and starts cleaning.

"It... hurts alot, doesn't it?" The words are forced, and Klein is quickly moving out of her comfort zone, more accustomed to leaving issues of romance to others more suited to the task.

"Huh? No, not really. In fact, it barely even stings at all now."

Yet even in her depressed state, Eve still remaind as dense as ever.

"I... wasn't talking about your knuckles, Eve."

"Oh."

"Would you like to talk abou-"

"Can you help me get this shelf piece off the floor real quick?"

Eve doesn't look away from her task as she shrugs off the concern, and Klein feels a sense of helplessness settle into the pit of her stomach as she relents.

"...Okay. You take one side, I'll take the other. Where do you want to sit it?"

"We can just stand it up over there. Come on."

Eve already has her hands on the slab of wood by the time Klein bends over to lift her side.

"Ready? On three. Two. One... Lift!"

They effortlessly lift the slab up between the two of them, and drag it over to rest by the door to Eve's room. Klein wipes her hands together, knocking dust and splinters off in the process.

"Well, we still have a long way to go, but it's a start. Why don't we take a break for now?"

When Eve doesn't respond, Klein turns around to find her standing over the spot they had just cleared out. In her hands is a picture frame with most of the glass already shattered and missing.

As she gets closer, she notices that Eve's entire body is quaking.

"Eve? Eve, What's wrong?"

She's by her side instantly, and when she looks over her shoulder, her heart sinks.

She remembers the day June dragged the four of them out to the outskirts of the Corona Woods to take a commemorative photo for Eve and Patch's one year anniversary. She had mainly been conscripted to help carry the camera equipment, but the day sits in her mind as a fond memory, and also as the only time she's ever seen Patch with her hair swept back. Eve is standing next to her with a shy smile and a deep blush, while her girlfriend drapes an arm around her shoulder and squeezes her close.

They both looked so happy together.

Klein is brought out of her reverie when her Conjurer drops the frame and stifles a sob with her hand. It happens again, and Klein doesn't waste any time pulling her close and rubbing a hand on her back. Eve's entire face goes taut, trying in vain to fight against the grief threatening to spill out, but with each sob that she chokes back, another one comes, stronger than the one before it, and it isn't long before she starts hyperventilating.

"Don't. Just let it out."

With Klein's words, all of Eve's pent up frustrations burst out. She buries her head in her chest, and screams into her jacket at the top of her lungs. When the last breath of air is gone from her chest, Eve takes a shaky breath, and allows herself to cry. Her lower lip quivers nonstop, and her face is filthy with snot as she continues to whimper.

"I messed up..."

"You both gave it your best shot." Klein reassures her, even though she doesn't truly believe what she's saying. Eve finally gets her breathing under control and shakes her head.

"She always kept saying... that I didn't respect her space enough... and that... but I just...!"

Her words become more incoherent with each sob until Klein pulls away from her and puts a hand up.

"Eve, you can't blame yourself for this; relationships are a tricky thing."

She sniffles again, then wipes her eyes.

"I didn't know breaking up was gonna hurt this much..."

"I know I already asked you before but, is there something that I can do to help? Anything at all?"

"I just... I just want this feeling to go away, even if it's only for a little while." The words cut to the core for Klein, reminding her of a time when she had found herself at the lowest point imaginable.

Who had been the ones to set her back on the right path again? Her mind flashes back to a place from her days as a paramour, and a place she promised herself never to go back to ever again if she could help it. But still, Eve was worth the risk. Slowly, a plan began to form.

"I think I might be able to help with that. Are you feeling hungry at all?"

"Just a little... Why?"

Klein walks over to her cat bed and takes off the top of her uniform, folding it neatly on top of her pillow as Eve watches curiously. She tugs at the zipper on the side of the cushion and reaches inside, retrieving a piece of clothing that she hasn't seen in many years.

The fabric of her bomber jacket is every bit as soft as she remembers, and as she slides it on, she feels like an entirely different person. She turns to Eve with a small smile, and gives her another pat on the shoulder.

"You've been old enough to drink for a while, so that's exactly what we're going to do. Come on, go wash up and get changed; There's some people I'd like to introduce you do."

 


End file.
